Do Two Twins Equal a King?

Do two twin mattresses make a king size bed?

Whatever your reasoning for asking the question “do 2 singles equal a king”, whether it be a simple bet with someone or coming up with a solution to resolve a problem, like fitting through a tight space, there is an answer to the question. The answer is a bit confusing and a little complicated so we’ll lay out the 2 part answer in detail.

King, 2 Twins, 2 Twin XL’s: It’s so Confusing

So yes technically width-wise they do, an eastern king in width is nothing more than two twin beds pushed together side by side. What you might be surprised to learn is that it does NOT equal an eastern king is in length. Industry people often call this a really short king. Many people like yourself opt to use their twin beds this way, but quickly become confused and have problems figuring out what size sheets, mattress pads and protectors, blankets and comforters might actually fit this make shift king. Whatever it is called it is not a standard industry recognized size, so we’ll attempt to sort out the details and facts about this mattress conundrum.

The Devil is in The Details

Putting an 80 inch long eastern king mattress on two regular 75 inch twin box springs really does not work correctly.

The fact is the two side by side 75” long beds end up 5 inches shorter than the 80” long eastern king mattress. With the 80 inch mattress hanging off the end of twin box spring by 5 inches the mattress is left unsupported which will damage the mattress, make it unsafe to sit on, and void any manufacturer’s warranty you might have.

Do two twin extra longs make a king?

Yes in fact they do, the mattress industry uses:

2 twin E.L. (Extra Long) boxsprings which each measures 38 x 80 each

The twin E.L box springs are then placed underneath of a 76 x 80 eastern king mattress

We also reference these as Twin XL – extra long.

See it’s that simple

What makes all of this so confusing to some consumers is that they insist on pushing two twins side by side making their beds exactly the same width as a standard eastern king size bed, but those very same people didn’t pay attention to the details of length. They then run out and visit your local department stores like Kohl’s, JC Penny’s and Bed Bath and Beyond or purchase king size sheets on the Internet only to find that the sheet set does not fit properly, leaving the king fitted sheet fitting with a sloppy and a whole lot of slack.

What about California King?

I have also read where individuals believe that 2 twin box springs will fit underneath a California King
Cal. Kings measure 72 wide x 84 long. This is not true. The mattress and box spring industry specifically supplies these mattress set shoppers with two 36 x 84 boxsprings to fit perfectly under this uniquely extra-long mattress. Sheets also are available in Cal. King Size.

Getting A Large Bed to an Upstairs Bedroom

One major reason people seek out alternative solutions because they have decided to change their queen to a king only to discover that a king won’t fit up the stairs or make it through a tight spot. We have some solutions. Just like building a house you start with the foundation. Forever Foundations offers some of the strongest and easiest solutions for couples who want to sleep on a bed that is not separated. Unlike traditional twin XL box springs, the Forever Store More comes disassembled. It can easily be maneuvered into the toughest to reach of bedrooms, assembled with or without a bed frame since it offers 4 different leg heights and finally a place to put a king size mattress on it. Learn more about what king size mattresses you can bend and fold.

So what happens if I push my two twin mattresses together?

For those who would like to push to twins together and make a “short king” this is America – go for it! However, to my knowledge there is no bedding ensembles made to fit this, so here is my solution. Improvise by purchasing two fitted twin sheets, one king flat sheet, and 2 king size pillow cases separately.

You are now ready to stop sleeping like Lucy and Ricky and push your beds together.

Author: Douglas Belleville

Doug Belleville and his father Dave own and run STLBeds - a specialty sleep store located in Arnold, MO. The staff at STLBeds is highly educated about sleep, comfort and their special sleep products. STLBeds only carries high quality mattresses and bed-related products. You won't find the brand names here - click here to find out why!

Hi Dee, King sheets should fit it which no issues. They also make what is called split king sheets which have 2 twin extra long fitted sheets and one king flat sheet. These are especially nice if you have what is called a swing hinge kit. Doug

I am considering 2 XL Twin matresses put together. Do you believe this will minimze movement distubances and would a California King comforter be the best size for this pair?
Thank you for this infomation!

Hi Brandy, I do believe this will minimize movement and disturbances from one sleeper to the other especially if they don’t share a king size bed frame, instead using two twin bed frames. A swing hinge kit is also something you may want to look into they are cheap and add a world of convenience in the day to day use of such beds. In order of popularity of bed linen choices and how people dress them: Split King Sheets are a popular choice, then king size sheets, and then twin extra long sheets with a king bed spread. May your sleep be undisturbed. Doug 😉

Hi Gina, To my knowledge there is no such thing as a king frame that attaches to a queen headboard, I would have to say there is rarely ever an inquiry for such an animal. In addition to that the 16 inches of difference between them is simply too much to simply hide. If you are still thinking of doing this there are a couple of companies on line that make modification brackets that modify a queen to fit a king or reverse they just aren’t pretty 😉 Doug

Hi Jean, If the king headboard is a bolt up type and they have been placed on a king bolt up frame then yes one of these frames would get the job done if you do not have one. Another option if you have 2 twin size bed frames that bolt up is using our #9 Swing Hinge Kit Please feel free to contact me at the toll free number at the top of the page if you have any questions or concerns.

My husband and I have opposite opinions of what is comfortable to sleep on. I get extremely hot at night and he is cool. I was thinking of putting two twin XL mattress in our King bed frame. One would be memory foam with cooling gel and the other a standard mattress. Would this work?

Karen, Absolutely. You make have to shim under one of the boxsprings if it is shorter than the other. Feel free to contact me at the toll free number at the top of this page and I can assist you. As far as cooling gel I am not sold on the stuff and believe it is nothing more than a marketing gimmick. You may want to consider natural latex rubber for a cooler mattress. Hoping this will be helpful. Doug

I have two matching twin headboards and footboards. Can I use them to make a king bed? Will 2 XL twin frames work and push them together putting the boxspring in each frame and put a king mattress on top?

Hi Pat, Yes people do this all the time. It has the same affect as someone that has a Wood head and footboard with wooden side rails and uses a hook in style T-Frame for center support in the middle. Doug

Love this info. Thank you! Under your question “Do two XL twins make a king?”, you don’t give a definitive answer. From the other info you provide, I think the answer is “Definitely yes.” Am I correct?

Terry, Thank you for your comment. I guess I rattled on so much with all the details I for the Yes or No part of the question LOL. I went back and edited my blog and now you will see along with my ramblings there is a definitive YES. I appreciate the time you took to let me know the error existed. Take care Doug

Here’s my question/problem: My husband & I like being cozy together and really want to remain in a queen, BUT … I desperately need my side to be in an adjustable frame due to spinal problems. Is there any setup that you know of that would allow each side of a queen to be independently adjusted?
Hmmmm … Now that I wrote out this question, I think I see that the obvious answer is … no! We cannot remain in a queen if we want both sides to adjust independently, right? See, I answered my own question.

I have two standard twin beds and a king bed frame. Putting these two standard twin mattresses together will a king or california king bed sheet fit the two or no? Do you suggest putting twin sheets on each and buy a king comforter? Thanks!

Carson, 2 Twins are the same width 76″ the length is 5 inches short. This would be a problem for me and most people. Twin sheets would fit it best and the king comforter will be bigger. It all depends on what is acceptable to you. Doug

I need to replace one mattress on my adjustable dual CA King bed. Since the bed already has an attached box spring, can I purchase only a mattress in a twin EL and expect it to fit? I plan to purchase a plush hybrid first and , should I find I prefer a firmer surface, purchase a firm for the other twin frame. Will this work?

Hi. I’d like to make a “king” out of two twin beds. I have a queen-size metal bed frame that I believe is adjustable in width. Is the one center support on my frame strong enough to hold up two twin foundations? If not, are there options on how to add support to the frame?

Marcia, I would be happy to discuss details with you that may give me a better clue as to what you have exactly. Queen frames more often than not do NOT open up to a king size width of 76 inches. If it does it should work. I would question its strength though most have double beams for support with a minimum of two legs. A frame is a cheap 100.00 investment if that is all you need. Lastly two twin equal king width, NOT king length. Sheets and bedding will be very challenging due to finding what you need, fitting properly, and the cost of trying to make all this work. Doug

Hello ,hello,hello
I have a king mattress and foundation. I want to replace the mattress so I was looking to go with 2 XLtwins. But it looks like the XL Twins(and the twins ) measure 39″s each ,78″ total width. While the kings measures 76″. Is this correct,if so how does that mean if you go with twins you have to get a new foundation

Hello Doug. I want to create a king bed by combining 2 twin XL boxsprings and 2 twin xl mattress. Is this possible? I have ideas on connecting the mattresses, but how would I connect the box springs?
Do you thing If I platform out of pallets that would work? All ideas are welcome! Thanks

Sharee, It is called “King Packing when you place 2 twin extra long sets on the same bed or king size bed frame. When you do this, there really isn’t any reason to “connect the mattress and the boxspring”. The bed frame should keep them in place.
Connecting them kind of defeats the purpose of purchasing 2 mattress sets. Doug

Hi Doug! Forgive me if you have already answered this question but I could not find it. We have an Eastern King box and mattress. I love the mattress but it kills my husband’s back. Can we keep the box and purchase 2 XL twins, which will be different according to our needs? I really miss sleeping with my hubby!
I have read so much about the reverse, 2 boxes and 1 mattress. Will this work? Please say yes 🙂

Beth, Yes you can use them, but buyer beware.
2 Twin XL’s mattresses will fit on your “king boxsprings” which coincidentally are actually Twin XL’s.
If you are opting to simply buy 2 different mattresses to suit each of your comfort and support needs that is fine, but you will likely forfeit any warranty those mattresses come with since they will not be on their designed boxsprings.

I am assuming you have “boxsprings”. Since most mattress base foundations are rigid and are not actually springy like old time boxsprings it is likely that it will make the new mattresses feel different in your home as compared to when you test rested them in the store. Learn more about what a boxspring actually does here. Hoping this solves your problem. Doug

Doug, both my folks became very ill & we had to purchase them a king size adjustable bed which was 2 xl twins on separate bases. They both needed very different matress (mom’s was very plush & Dads was firm) which lead to a 3 inch difference in height when together. This bothers my parents because of how it looks visually & that my dad can’t role over to hold my mom. The company offered us shorter legs for the taller one which they are ordering in but I am now worried if the bases will now be different will the bed now push apart (they are not in a bedframe ) or do the legs have something to hold them together & keep them from rolling away? My parents spent A LOT of money on these & I’m worried we wasted their money. Any words of advice? Thank you

Jackie, This is usually a pretty simply solution. Swapping out the taller legs should bring the height closer to level. The only way to know for sure is to measure the difference which you did 3 inches. Next you will need to measure the leg height. If the new legs are two inches lower than the old legs then there will now be a 1″ height difference instead of a 3″ height difference. As far as the beds rolling away: If it has rollers that could be and issue. I would make certain that each and every wheel included a wheel lock and that each of them are engaged. If it has feet as apposed to wheels, well that is even better in my opinion it should stay put. I do NOT think you have wasted your parents money. The benefits far out way the cons in this purchase. Super great questions. Doug

Julia, If you have a king size mattress it should measure 76 x 80. The 2 twin extra long boxsprings will measure 38 x 76 each totaling 76 x 80. There should NOT be a problem. You will need to check your measurements and make sure you indeed do have a king mattress and do indeed have two twin extra longs. Doug

Julia, 79 x 73 is not a king. 80 x 76 is. We can assume an inch or so off but not 3″
Those measurement are not an industry standard measurement I am familiar with. Either the measurement is wrong / Perhaps the mattress was custom made / I have no solution based on the information you shared. Doug

Hi Doug, I have a friend whom gave me two xl twin box springs and I about to purchase my bed rails will these two xl twins fit a standard king size bed rail since the xl twins measure 39 x80? There is a 2 inch difference between a king 76 x 80 as opposed to these which will be 78 x 80.

Doug, I have two xl twin mattresses. I would like to have the bed set-up as an xl twin single with an xl-twin pop-up trundle. I have scoured the internet to no avail trying to locate a frame and trundle to accomplish this. Do you know if this is possible? I can put a regular twin as the pop-up trundle, but that would not work very well I don’t think. Thank you!

I am about to move into a new place and am looking to use two twin beds, with or without the boxsprings depending on the type of bed frame I get. I want to use this method of putting the mattresses together to make a king bed. I have two questions I think. First off, will a king bed frame work for this method since two twins together are 5 inches shorter in length? I believe they are regular twins but they could be twin xls. I just don’t want to purchase a bed frame that they mattresses won’t fit on or in. My second question is this: What kind of bed frame should I go with? I was thinking of doing a platform type to avoid boxsprings, but then again I’m unsure of what to do. Oh I guess there is a third question, what size sheets to you recommend for this method? I read through previous comments but just wanted to ask again. I would really like to buy a set of something so everything matches, but that might change depending on what your response is. I’m trying to be cost efficient and make things simpler as my fiance and I are moving in together. Thank you in advance for your help! 🙂

Abilene, To my the best of my knowledge all trundles and popup trundles are made in twin size only. I am not sure what you mean by frame, but I assume you are meaning some kind of a bed to slip the trundle underneath? If this is the case again I am not aware of anything designed to do such a job. You have to remember that trundle beds are typically designed as space savers and are usually used in tight spaces for multiple kids sharing one room and guest rooms to accommodate extra guests. Sorry I was not able to offer much more information. Doug

Kayla, You threw a whole lot at me.
You have to first decide if you are going to do a platform bed or not. Platform beds typically do not use standard metal bed frames. This could be a problem since platform beds that come in king will accommodate 2 twin extra long mattresses leaving you the 5 inch gap you are aware of. Personally I would not do this because I thing it would look strange.

As far as using two twins 38 x 75 which is likely what you have… of course you can, but your sheets will need to be for 2 twins since a king fitted sheet would be 5 inches to big and fit very sloppy. You will buy your king size flat sheet separately. You can place them on a king frame the length would not be an issue, the side railings would end closer to the end of the boxspring than normal. Which brings up the last point. A metal frame will require 2 twin boxsprings in order to keep the mattresses from falling through the bed frame. Feel free to call me with questions. Doug

Hi,
Just moved my folks into assisted living. They’ve got two twin beds that needed to be pushed together because of room constraints. It’s impossible for my folks to make the beds now (with twin sheets), so here’s my question: If I’ve parsed all of your above info correctly, the only problem with a king bedding set is that the fitted sheet would be loose in length (which they could just tuck under the end, I’m thinking) and the king comforter would be longer than expected (which could just hang off the bottom or be addressed at the head by more tucking or letting it hang down- it’s against a wall at the head). Am I correct? Thanks!

Debbie, Over simplified, but correct. There are a few problems with sheets not fitting properly. They can easily come off exposing the mattress / pad not to mention sloppy sheets can be very uncomfortable annoying, and can affect quality of sleep. This isn’t a flat sheet with extra material that can be tucked with a hospital fold. My suggestion try it, it is cheaper than buying a new king. Doug

Kristi, Yes you have a big problem. Two twin sizes are 76″ wide the same as an eastern king. Your new California King should be only 72″. The length is also a problem. A twin is 75″ long and your California King is 84″. Sorry for the bad news. Doug

I have a question for you. We ordered a bedroom set from a local delivery store and paid for delivery for them to set it up. Our bed is a California King. When the delivery men came and delivered the head board, foot board and rails they informed us that they believed our box springs were for a king bed and not a cal king. I have a hard time agreeing with that as our mattress firs perfectly over our box spring. They delivery men insisted that they place an order for king size rails and they would exchange them out once the King rails come in. Since the box springs wouldn’t fit (because with the wood flats one side of the box springs sat inside the rail and the other side hung over by about 2-4 inches). Tonight we sleep with no wood flats and the mattress siting on box spring on the floor with the rails on. The delivery man told my husband that he looked up a sku number on the box spring and it came up as a king size box spring. My question is how on the world is it possible that our cal King sit perfectly on the box spring if that delivery guy is telling my husband that our box springs are for a king bed??? We also purchased new cal King sheets (which for our mattress like a glove) so I know our mattress is a cal King. Any thoughts other then to measure each box spring?? My husband said the delivery men had a hard time putting the rails together which leads me to wonder if it was assembled properly.

Mary, The answer is a simple one, it doesn’t matter what you believe it is or the delivery people think it is. If the measurement is 72 wide x 84 long it is a California King. If it is 76 wide and 80 long it is an eastern king. Hope this brings clarity to the dispute 😉 Doug

One question: Why does your picture show twin mattresses at 39″ wide and king at 78″ wide, yet below in the text you are calling king 76″ wide and twin 38″ wide. I would like to replace my king mattress with two xl twins but I am worried about your conflicting information on this site.

I have a king size bed and was tired tossing by my husband every single day. I thought my mattress was old ( even tho its only 7 years) went and got a new Beutyrest King size for $3,600. The problem still exists. I can feel the movement and it wakes me up every single day. I have 60 days to return the mattress for a fee of 15% ( @ Macys) . I am literally crying as it hasn’t solved my problem. please give me advice as I am a light sleeper. Considering buying two extra Large twin size beds and replacing the king size. is that a good idea? Do I need to buy 2 separate twin size box springs too? will it resolve my issue?

Dear Doug – I have the same problem as Kathy Roberts (I think June of 2016) which you never answered.
I have a Leggett and Platt king size bed frame but we are going to get 2 twin XL beds to accommodate
different firmness comfort. Will the foundations for the twin XLfit in the L& P king frame due to the fact that
the two equal 78 inches instead of the king 76 inches wide? Holly

I purchased two twin beds with regular size mattresses for my guest room planning on putting them together occasionally to creat a king for adults.
Should I have purchased a Twin XL mattress or would the basic one be enough?
The actual headboard size is 45″ x 56 1/2.

Letha, As the article states a twin is 75″ long. King size is 80″. This is a matter of personal preference and how you want to move forward with bedding like sheets, mattress pad, bed spreads etc. The width of a king is 76″ which is no where close to 56 1/2 inches wide. I do not think this will look good or normal. Hope this helps. Doug

Amber, no one wants to toss and turn and for light sleepers it often awakes them. Even worse is being awakened from movement of their partner. The best piece of advice I can give you is to test rest the mattress in a brick and mortar store with your partner, especially if you are hyper sensitive to movement. The second choice is separate mattresses. I would even look at the idea of using separate steel bed frames. All of this is will completely isolate the movement to each sleepers unique bed. Will it resolve the issue? No one can answer that. If motion transfer through your current matttress is THE ISSUE then it should resolve the problem if not… You may want to visit a research / sleep clinic / Doctor. Thank you. I hope this fixes the problem. Doug

My husband has a lot of problems lying flat so we decided to put 2 hospital beds together to make one king size bef. We are using separate sheet sets (fitted and flat for both are twin XL) but I’m not sure what to do about comforter. Would one king size fit or should I use 2 twin sizes? Thanks for your help!!

Polly, Great question. Personal preference is the best answer. Both will work. As I will reiterate 2 twin extra longs equal a king. My wife and I like separate blankets because we both are awakened easily. The pulling and tugging on a king blanket for both of us is enough to disturb us. Doug

Rodney, If the two beds were twin extra long side by side you could use either split king sheet set or 2 twin extra long sheet sets. Simply pushing 2 twins together does not make it a king except in width. You would therefore continue to use your twin size sheets sets you likely already own. Great question. Doug